


The Symphothizer

by Daydream_Deity



Category: The Amazing World of Gumball
Genre: "The Disaster" really messed with Rob's psyche, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Beta'd, Betaed, Bonding, Eventual Fluff, Feels, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gen Work, Inspired by Doki Doki Literature Club!, Meta, Metafiction, OC, Self-Insert, Songfic, TW: Doki Doki Literature Club references, Trans Boy!Rob
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-14
Updated: 2018-04-25
Packaged: 2019-03-31 10:54:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13973550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daydream_Deity/pseuds/Daydream_Deity
Summary: When Rob finds an electronic keyboard in the Elmore Wrecking Center and decides to sing about his worries, he unleashes some magic that just might help him to make a friend.





	1. Basking In Thoughts Of The Forbidden Gods

Sometimes, Rob got a break, however small. It just so happened that today was that day. The cyclops had recently taken up residence in the Elmore Wrecking Center (where else could the infamous Dr. Wrecker have his lair?), and it amazed him how often people would throw away all the useful things he had found since he had begun his stay.

Rummaging through one of the smaller junk piles, Rob uncovered a large electronic keyboard. The two final keys were missing, and the top of the keyboard had a huge crack in it, but it was otherwise in decent condition.

The cyclops chuckled, scanning the inscribed list of instruments that the device could mimic. “Ah, perfect!” he muttered, noticing the “reed organ” setting. “Didn’t Gumball’s fishy friend say something about having an ominous theme tune?”

Hoisting up the keyboard so as not to damage it further, Rob abandoned his hunt in the junk pile, heading toward the section of the wrecking center that he now called his home.

* * *

Four hours later, Rob smoothed out a crumpled newspaper covered in red crayon letters on the dirt. Finally, he had come up with a relatively good tune, with some song lyrics to match.

“I just hope this doesn’t sound ridiculous,” Rob bemoaned as he turned on the keyboard and cracked his knuckles.

His glitched hands descended upon the keys as he consulted the newspaper before him for his lyrics:

_“Every day, I imagine a world where I mean as much as you;_

_Relevant to your life more than when I’m trying to destroy you._

_I just want someone real in my cursed life_

_If I cannot have the main character’s part,_

_But in this world of prewritten choices,_

_What will it take just to find that special day? _  
_ _

__What will it take just to find_ _

__That special day?”_ _

Rob thought back to when his worldview had been shattered. Every day, he could see those credits rolling whenever he closed his eyes. Upon further reflection, he had realized after the incident, it wasn't necessarily Gumball Watterson’s fault that the cyclops had been sent to the Void. No, he just wasn’t “entertaining” enough for the pantheon that treated their world as nothing more than a production. That is, until Rob had become the cat’s enemy. He sighed and he played onward, glancing once more at what he had written:

_“Everyone in this world has a single role that they have to play._

_Give me somebody real to help dull the pain; in my role, I'll stay._

_When I can't even own my existence,_

_What good is life when my anguish says it all?_

_And if this world won't write me an ending, _  
_ _

_What will it take just for me to have it all?"_

Yeah, that part sounds good,” Rob noted as his hands danced over the keyboard. “Might even make that ‘all-seeing production crew’ see what they've done to me!"

_"Do you gods only write peaceful words for all of my enemies?_

_There’s a friend somewhere, anywhere, in your minds that could set me free._

_I just want someone real in my cursed life_

_Why won’t you write them into reality?_

_If I can’t hear the sound of their heartbeat,_

_Who should I call friends in this reality?_

_And in this reality, if you really hate me that much,_

_Just leave me be.”_

...

The glitched boy turned off the keyboard, musing over the song that he had just made. A dawning realization was pulled over him, like a thick sheet of snow. He didn’t even make that melody! He didn’t make anything, it was all up to them! The static on Rob’s body fizzled with hatred as he shoved the keyboard out of his reach, the crack on it just barely increasing in size from the force but onto it. He stomped off, grabbing the newspaper he’d written the song lyrics on so that he’d have some sort of blanket that night.

 _Why do I even try?_ he thought. _It’s not like anyone in Elmore would ever listen to me blab about my problems, existential or otherwise. What made me even_ consider _that whatever twisted force is out there would even_ think _of caring about me?_

Rob curled up into a ball in the dirt, doing his best to wrap the newspaper around his body. The song he had written floated around in his mind as he felt a small tear roll down his cheek.

“What will it take just for me to have it all?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout-out to Haydes on Discord, mysteriousdollart on Tumblr, and SoHoldMeTight right here on AO3 for beta-reading this chapter for me! Y'all are the best. :)  
> Also, yes, Rob's song is a parody of "Your Reality" from Doki Doki Literature Club. "The Disaster" and "The Rerun" reminded me a lot of Monika's situation, and that comparison is what got me thinking of this fanfiction in the first place!


	2. A Possible Blossom Amidst Failure And Misfortune

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh thank goodness you have no idea how much my writer's block was killing me

The next day was a Monday, the worst day to wake up on after an existential crisis. Rob grumbled as he watched __ __ ~~~~Gumball from within the trees outside Elmore Junior High. Yesterday may have been an off day for him, but if serving as Gumball’s rival was what it took for him to be deemed important, then so be it.

The sound of footsteps below pulled Rob out of his inner monologue. Glancing beneath him, Rob saw a high-schooler with a mop of lavender locks settle down on the concrete. Slowly, he lowered the binoculars he had brought with him. He didn’t recognize this newcomer. Could his prayer have been answered? Had the rulers of this universe really bothered to make someone entirely new, just so he could become their friend?

The stranger pulled off the backpack they had been wearing before retrieving from it some pencils and a small notebook. Rob couldn’t tell what exactly they were drawing from his vantage point, but occasionally, the stranger would mutter something and rip out the page they were working on.

Rob turned his back to the school so he could get a better view of the newcomer. It seemed they were sketching some rather ominous-looking outfits, and-

_THUMP!_

“Ugh, just what I needed,” the cyclops bemoaned. He’d managed to lose his balance and fall head-first onto the sidewalk, and in front of this stranger, too! What a ridiculous first impression.

_“Dang,_ are you alright?” the high-schooler asked, shoving their notebook back into their backpack.

“Yeah, I’m good,” Rob grumbled as he righted himself. “I’ve been through worse.”

“You sure?” the stranger asked, checking for bruises. “What are you even _doing_ here, uh…”

“Rob.”

“Thanks. Sorry to ask, but aren’t you supposed be in school, Rob?” the high-schooler asked, shoving rejected designs into their backpack. “I mean, just because I’m of no use in a classroom doesn’t mean you aren’t...” they muttered.

Rob hesitated. _‘Looks_ _like_ _Lavender_ _here’s_ _got_ _some_ _issues_ _of_ _their_ _own,”_ he thought. Still, that didn’t mean he could just say that his school records had been erased from existence.

“I’m… homeschooled,” he lied. “My dads gave me the day off. What about you?” He raised his brow curiously, looking this new character up and down.

“Oh, I’m new in town,” they chuckled. “My parents are more focused on pumping up my school schedule than helping get everything else situated, so I figured I’d get to know my way around the place, work on some costume ideas... _Oh,_ that reminds me! I haven’t even introduced myself; I am _so_ sorry! My name’s Echo, Echo Robinson.”

“No relation to the other Robinsons?”

“I neither know nor care who those are.” Echo dropped their pencils into their backpack and winked. At least, Rob _assumed_ they had, since Echo’s shaggy bangs covered their eyes. Glancing the backpack over, Rob noticed a pin on the front that said “Genderfluid Pride.” He made a mental note to ask Echo what pronouns they felt like using the next time they bumped into each other, if they did at all.

“That reminds me, there’s bound to be some crud back at ‘home’ I’ve gotta put away.” Echo sneered at their use of the word ‘home.’ “Tell you what: you seem like an awesome guy, how’d you like to come over on Saturday, when my place is more tidied up?”

Rob felt sweat culminate in his palms. He couldn’t recall the last time someone had _talked_ to him for this long, let alone suggest he visit their house. There was no doubt about it; the writing gods had answered his prayer.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (The website kept repeating my end notes from last chapter on this one so I'm just gonna sneak in this little not-note to overwrite that.)

**Author's Note:**

> Shout-out to Haydes on Discord, mysteriousdollart on Tumblr, and SoHoldMeTight right here on AO3 for beta-reading this chapter for me! Y'all are the best. :)


End file.
